


Baby Zuko Gets A Soulmate Mark

by OccasionalStorytelling



Series: Avatar Soulmate Marks [1]
Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Burns, Hurt No Comfort, M/M, Ozai (Avatar) Being a Terrible Parent, Soulmate-Identifying Marks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-23
Updated: 2020-06-23
Packaged: 2021-03-04 00:21:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 764
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24874519
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OccasionalStorytelling/pseuds/OccasionalStorytelling
Summary: Everyone gets a soulmate mark at some point in their childhood. When the person you'll be with starts to figure out who they really are, their mark appears on your body somewhere.This is the story of how Zuko got a soulmate mark with water droplets and boomerangs on it. This is how Fire Lord Ozai reacted when he saw it.
Relationships: Sokka/Zuko (Avatar)
Series: Avatar Soulmate Marks [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1799902
Comments: 13
Kudos: 526





	Baby Zuko Gets A Soulmate Mark

**Author's Note:**

> content warning: you know how Ozai is, please don't read if burns and parental abuse aren't good for you

For a brief time in his childhood, Zuko was happy. When Prince Zuko woke up one morning, he found a beautiful stencil of water droplets and pointy shapes tattooed over his left eyebrow. His soulmate mark had finally arrived. Right there, for those five minutes—that was it, he got to be happy.

At breakfast, Azula laughed at him. She said that his mark looked like it came from someone in the water tribe, and that it was ugly. _Azula always lies,_ he whispered to himself. There was oatmeal for breakfast that day, and he put brown sugar in it until it got sweet. Azula waved a plastic knife in the air and told him that their dad was going to cut out his eye as a punishment for getting a mark like that. _Azula always lies,_ Zuko reminded himself, and he left the table before finishing his meal.

He went back to his room and touched the mark with his fingers, feeling it out. It was slightly raised from the skin. He looked at it in the mirror again. It was a dark black color, and it had beautiful details. There were little designs in the pointed shapes. It really _did_ look like a water tribe mark.

It was strictly against protocol, but Zuko took out his ponytail before going to see his father that day. He brushed his hair over his eye and tried to look like nothing had happened.

The Fire Lord sat in his throne room. “Have you improved your fire-bending forms?” He asked.

“Yes, father,” Zuko said, bowing.

“Your hair. Why is it not tied up?” Ozai asked.

Zuko didn’t know how to respond. He froze up.

“Your sister told me you received your soulmate mark,” Ozai said. His voice seemed softer, just barely. A little bit less harsh than usual. “Show me.”

Zuko stepped closer to his father’s throne. He pulled his hair back out of the way. Ozai cupped his face in one hand, running his thumb over the mark.

“This is a water tribe marking,” Ozai said.

“I did not make it, father,” Zuko said. He considered performing another respectful bow, but Ozai still held his face in one hand. “If I could change it, I would,” Zuko lied. The mark was beautiful. He was happy it would be with him forever.

“Do not worry, Zuko,” Ozai said. His hand started to heat up. It became uncomfortable. Zuko tried to pull away, but Ozai held him fast.

“Father—“

“No true fire nation prince would carry a mark like that,” Ozai said. “I will take care of this…dishonor…for you.”

“Father, please, don’t—“ Zuko struggled in Ozai’s grip. Ozai’s hand lit up with flames and Zuko screamed.

“Please…can I see, before you put the bandages on?” Zuko choked out the words. Uncle Iroh nodded his head sadly, and handed Zuko a mirror.

“Perhaps the burn will fade over time,” Iroh said, but Zuko wasn’t convinced.

He stared at his face. The beautiful mark had apparently just been skin-deep. It had burned away. There was now a red handprint marking half of Zuko’s face, with his father’s thumb over where the eyebrow had once been. Iroh waved his hand in front of the mirror.

“What?” Zuko looked up.

“I said, it’s likely you will lose some hearing and sight on that side,” Iroh said.

“Oh,” Zuko said. “…You can put the bandages on, now.”

“It will heal with time,” Iroh said, “but it will scar.”

“The mark won’t come back?” Zuko asked.

“I’ve…never heard of someone’s mark recovering from so severe an injury,” Iroh nodded sadly.

Zuko considered this. The mark had been beautiful. Distractingly so. And it matched someone in the water tribe, which meant that the only way they could meet was after the Fire Nation finished conquering the others.

And clearly, his father had hated the mark. Fire Lord Ozai had been correct. “Good,” Zuko said. “I’m glad it won’t come back. It brought me dishonor,” he said, and he knew he was crying, but that was from the pain of the burn.

“Zuko, it’s not a crime to have a soulmate mark from another nation,” Iroh said, wrapping soft white fabric over Zuko’s face.

“Shut up, old man,” Zuko snapped. “You don’t know anything about anything!”

Iroh finished his work, and tied the bandages securely. “I’ll make you a cup of tea, Prince Zuko,” he said.

“I don’t need tea,” Zuko hissed. He touched the bandages with one hand. He wasn’t crying.

“I know,” Iroh said. “But I’ll make it anyway.”


End file.
